Conservative Students Slammed for Serving Chik-fil-A at Marriage Equality Debate

Who would ever think that offering free food could ever be considered offensive?

In an move that many saw as being as inappropriate as serving veal at a Hindu wedding or bacon at a Bar Mitzvah, the Northwestern University University Law School's chapter of the conservative student organization, the Federalist Society, is drawing harsh criticism for choosing Chick-fil-A as the menu item for a Wednesday debate on same-sex marriage hosted by the group this week.

On Tuesday, the Northwestern University Law School's chapter of the conservative and libertarian group sponsored debate titled "Marriage: What it is, Why it Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining it." The debate featured a representative from the Heritage Foundation, a group which enthusiastically supported Arizona's recently failed "turn away the gays" bill earlier this year.

"This is an event about the definition of marriage - an event with a headliner explaining why marriage is between a man and a woman," said an opinion piece published on legal blog Case Briefs. "No one accidentally orders Chick-fil-A for that event, nor does one accidentally send out an invite eschewing the traditional 'lunch will be provided' in favor of a logo almost the same size as the description of the event."

Above the Law points out a coalition of progressive organizations at Northwestern Law, including OUTLaw and NU Dems, encouraged students to attend the Federal Society's event on marriage equality.The coalition set up an alternative food table that served Chipotle (with meat and vegetarian options), which they said would act as a "safe place."

The conservative Christian, privately held and family owned Chick-fil-A has received harsh criticism in the past over their generous financial backing of anti-gay and hard right-wing causes. In the past, monies from Chick-fil-A have gone to support organizations finding a "cure" for gays and proposing Holocaust revisionist theories.

The conservative Federalist Society, is an organization that seeks to reform laws according to a literal textualist and originalist interpretation on the U.S. Constitution. Its notable members include U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito - all of whom were in the minority that ruled against overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8.